An electrical connector assembly is used in a variety of industrial applications, typically includes two electrical connectors which are assembled to each other, in order to ensure a stable electrical connection, the two electrical connectors also require a certain physical connection, besides that housings and even parts of insulators of the two electrical connectors are connected to each other, one of the two electrical connectors is further provided with an elastic connection structure.
Chinese patent application No. 201010552654.7 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 8,052,458) discloses an electrical connector assembly which comprises a plug connector and a mating connector. The plug connector comprises a housing, the housing has a base and a contact tower and an elastic latch extending forwardly from a front end of the base, the elastic latch is positioned above the contact tower, the elastic latch may be deflectable. Both sides of a rear end of the base are respectively provided with second finger grips, the plug connector is connected to the mating connector and the elastic latch is allowed to lock the mating connector by means of gripping the second finger grips. A front end of the base is provided with a first finger grip, the first finger grip is aligned with the elastic latch, and the elastic latch may be deflected by pushing the first finger grip downwardly, so that the elastic latch is released. Flanges extend upwardly from outer sides of the tops of the outermost contact towers, the flanges at least partially block a gap between the bottom of the elastic latch and the tops of the contact towers to prevent from being entangled by a cable.
Although the above patent discloses an elastic latch configuration, when the force applied downwardly to the elastic latch is too large, the elastic latch is excessively deflected downwardly, it may cause deformation or damage of the elastic latch; while the elastic latch is excessively deflected upwardly, it may also cause deformation or damage of the elastic latch.